China has secretly fired powerful laser weapons designed to disable American spy satellites by "blinding" their sensitive surveillance devices, it was reported yesterday.
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According to senior American officials: "China not only has the capability, but has exercised it." American satellites like the giant Keyhole craft have come under attack "several times" in recent years.
Although the Chinese tests do not aim to destroy American satellites, the laser attacks could make them useless over Chinese territory.
I think this is a relative easy way to block spy satellites. I would say that all western countries, Japan, Iran, Pakistan, Korea, Inda and many other countries can develop this device on their own. If you have the technology, it's easy and cheap to mass implement the concept. I don't see a solution to make a satellite that can "see" when a laser is pointed on its censors.
Super small and secret satellites are a solution. They precisely have to know the orbit of the satellites to hit it with a laser. High earth orbit satellites with strange orbits have to be hard to detect if the pentagon doesn't send you the orbit info.
I'm hoping for a new space race!
Spacewars, sounds dangerous. I wonder how they know where the exact opening of the camera lens is, maybe they just use a very broad beam.
ReplyDeleteThis is very hard to guard against unless they have special filters or something.